Barbarism and Religion
Barbarism and Religion
'Barbarism and Religion' - Edward Gibbon's own phrase - is the title of a sequence of works by John Pocock designed to situate Gibbon, and his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in a series of contexts in the history of eighteenth-century Europe. In the fourth volume in the sequence, first published in 2005, Pocock argues that barbarism was central to the history of western historiography, to the history of the Enlightenment, and to Edward Gibbon himself. As a concept it was deeply problematic to Enlightened historians seeking to understand their own civilised societies in the light of exposure to newly discovered civilisations which were, until then, beyond the reach of history itself.
- Strong reviews of the hardback show that this volume more than matches the high standards of the sequence so far
- Appeals both graduate level and above
- World famous acclaimed author
Reviews & endorsements
'This book's challenging combination of Gibbonian study with history, historiography and philosophy carries Prof. Pocock's work onto a new level and one that will deepen the reader's understanding of all four.' Contemporary Review
Product details
April 2008Paperback
9780521721011
388 pages
228 × 151 × 22 mm
0.622kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I. The History and Theory of Barbarism:
- 1. Introducing the barbarian: problems of barbarism and religion
- 2. Anquetil-Duperron: despotism and prophecy in Sassanid Persia
- 3. Antoine-Yves Goguet: the Confusion of Tongues and the origins of civility
- 4. Thomas Carte: Japhetic settlers in the western islands
- 5. The first Germans: lethargy and passion in a transhumant culture
- Part II. Joseph de Guignes and the Discovery of Eurasia:
- 6. Gentile history in the further Asia
- 7. The many faces of Fo: the problem of religion in Eurasian history
- 8. Hans, Huns and Romans: the rhythms of barbarism and empire
- Part III. The New World and the Problem of History:
- 9. The invention and discovery of savagery
- 10. Robertson's America: the Scottish theoretical encounter with the New World
- 11. The universe of savagery and the search for history
- 12. Ancient history for modern settlers: the response to Robertson
- Part IV. The Crisis of the Seaborne Empires:
- 13. European history and the global ocean
- 14. The antiquity of Asia: legislators, priests and the tragedy of history
- 15. American savages and European barbarians: the invasion of the natural world
- 16, Slaves and settlers: the sugar islands in the new geopolitics
- 17. Utopia and revolution: the northern continent in history
- Conclusion
- 18. Gibbon and the Empires
- Envoi
- Bibliography of works cited
- Index.
